Concern for stranded NASA astronaut Suni Williams quashed with doctor's curious admission
Williams safely returned to Earth on March 18 after being stranded on the International Space Station for nine months - but viewers were quick to note a change in the NASA astronaut's appearance
Fears around the health of stranded NASA astronaut Sunita Williams have been quashed by a doctor who made a fascinating admission about her appearance following her return to Earth.
The 59-year-old splashed down from space on March 18 with fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore after being stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months following a string of technical issues. Their mission, which kicked off in June last year, was only supposed to last for just over a week.
In live coverage of their return to earth, viewers were quick to note a change in Williams' appearance - in particular drawing attention for her newly greyed hair and slimmer frame. Former astronauts have reported the effects of prolonged exposure to low gravity to last 1.5 times the length of their mission - meaning it could take the duo up to a year to fully recover.
But according to Dr Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist and Air Force veteran, Williams' face already appears fuller just two weeks after her return home. On Monday, the two astronauts appeared on Fox News in their first interview since landing where they reflected on their time in orbit. Observing Williams' appearance, Dr Gupta told MailOnline: "It looks like she just has gotten better sleep. She's back on level ground. Her metabolism is normalizing to sort of normal gravity."
He added that her body is no longer under the stress it was under while aboard the ISS that sits 230 miles above Earth's surface. The docotr said: "She's probably just eating healthier and is able to sort of modulate and gain back some weight. I think two weeks has probably been sufficient to look just healthier." In a NASA press conference, Williams said her recovery has been "miraculous."
Williams and Wilmore will most likely need up to six weeks of rehab to get back into basic shape, Dr Gupta said.
But despite the long journey of recovery ahead of them, Williams' Dr Gupta said he was confident the astronauts are past the "worst" of it. He added: "I think the worst is probably well behind them. The second you're back on level ground, your body starts to heal and sort of re-equilibrate."
It comes after an unnamed NASA source told the New York Post that Williams' supposed weight loss triggered a race for the space agency to help her pack on the pounds. The employee, who was "directly involved with the mission" said NASA were scrambling to "stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it" after Williams was "unable to keep up with the high-caloric diets that astronauts must consume" while on the ISS.
"The pounds have melted off her and she's now skin and bones. So it's a priority to help her stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it," the NASA source added.
On Monday, Williams told reporters during a NASA press conference that her father was a vegetarian - and her first meal since landing on Earth was a grilled cheese sandwich. Dr Gupta said a lack of meat-based proteins in the astronaut's diet may have impacted her health during the nine months in space. "Meaty sources of fat or protein tend to be fattier, take longer to digest, tend to power up your metabolism for more rigorous activity", he said.
Wilmore on the other hand appeared to maintain his weight and complexion on the space mission. The astronauts have not publicly spoken about their diets aboard the ISS, so it is not known if meal choices had a role to play in how the pair responded to prolonged exposure to low gravity. Dr Gupta said: "If there was such a difference between what they were intaking. It does not surprise me at all that Sunita looks looked visibly thinner than her counterpart."